Generation X[Two]: New Mission
by Icarii Enchantress
Summary: Too much tension; a nosy director; a weird mission to...Seattle? Sequel to X5-989


TITLE: New Mission  
SERIES: Generation X  
AUTHOR: Stefanie  
EMAIL: sgalvin1@hotmail.com  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any mentioned characters from the show. Period. Jazz, and her little world that was created in my head, remain mine....unless someone else wants them.  
AUTHOR'S NOTES: 1) Anything in between a set of * (ie: *...*) means that the word, or words, are accented, or in italics (basically the same thing). 2) I know NOTHING whatsoever about motorcycles. The Galaxy 400 was some thing that slipped into my chocolate-intoxicated mind late one night. *Gotta jet, *Stef  
SUMMARY: Too much tension; a nosy director; a weird mission to...Seattle?  
  
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Generation X [Two]  
"New Mission"  
by Stefanie  
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Jazz was waiting in one of Manticore's briefing rooms for Renfro, Manticore's newest director.  
  
'And she can't even be on time,' she thought, smiling in satisfaction.  
  
The door opened, and she snapped to attention. But it wasn't Renfro that entered.  
  
"Colonel Lydecker," she said.  
  
"At ease soldier." Jazz relaxed slightly. "I trust your mission was a success?"  
  
She allowed herself a small smile. "Yes, sir. The house should be burnt to cinders by now, sir, taking Haroldson with it."  
  
"Very good, 989..." he stopped when Renfro walked through the door.  
  
"Deck?" Renfro asked, surprised to see him in the room. "What are you doing here?"  
  
Lydecker's voice clearly displayed his dislike for the new director. "X5-989 had just been de-briefing me on her mission. She's been waiting for you for over an hour, and my kids get impatient." He paused, looking out one of the barred windows. "Besides, I'm going to need her within the next few days to run an errand for me." With that, he walked out the door.  
  
Renfro got in Jazz's face. "Did you tell him anything about the mission?"  
  
"No, ma'am." God, she hated this woman.  
  
"Good, because that could jeopardise everything." She turned and walked away, then turned back again. "As soon as he tells you what he wants you to do, I'm ordering you to come and tell me immediately, is that clear 989?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am."   
  
Renfro stared at Jazz's blank, soldier-like face. "You're still loyal to me, which is very good, 989. You're the best of my soldiers, perhaps the best soldier at Manticore. Don't disappoint me. Dismissed."  
  
Jazz stood at attention, and left, as quickly as was polite.  
  
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It's me again - X5-989/Jazz. I'm going to let you in on a little secret about Manticore's genetic creations.  
  
We may be the smartest, fastest, strongest, hardest to defeat soldiers in the world - but it doesn't make us perfect. For example, my team of X5s (the ones I train with) - X5-867, X5-093, X5-342, X5-777, X5-008, X5-445, X5-657, X5-181, and X5-658 - is full of the biggest gossips you're ever likely to meet. But then again, it could just be my unit.  
  
For example, when I returned from this mission, to my barracks, this was the greeting I got...  
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Jazz sat down across from 445, 777, 658, and 657. It was a reunion of the girls of X5 unit 4.  
  
"Hey," 445 said, "word is that you and 494 went down while you were in Seattle."  
  
Jazz rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and I also brought down the plague, killed a thousand children, and worked the clubs."  
  
657 and 658, the twins of unit 4, raised their eyebrows. "You sure?"  
  
"I mean, it's not like we'd tell anyone," 777 added.  
  
"You know what I think?" Jazz said, leaning forward. "I think we should rename our unit from Unit 4 to Gossip Queens."   
  
They all stared at her. "I resent that, 989," 658 said.  
  
"Yeah, well, I resent having to wait over an hour for a debriefing session, then having to come here and deal with this kind of crap."  
  
"I think you spent way too much time in Common Verbal Usage," 445 said, crossing her arms. "You talk too freely here, and one day one of the TAC leaders, or the director, or even Colonel Lydecker, are going to hear, and are going to send you to psy ops."  
  
"Oooh, I'm scared," Jazz said her voice hard. "Now, listen up. You are *my* team. I am in charge - or did you all forget that small fact? Now I'm gonna ask that you all show a little respect or I'm going to report your sorry asses. Is that clear, soldiers?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am." The other 4 female X5s knew they'd overstepped the border. Jazz had never pulled rank on them before. She was hiding something.  
  
%%%%%%  
  
Renfro sat at her desk, watching Lydecker like a hawk watches its prey. "Deck, I've heard some rumors about two of your kids who were in Seattle on seperate missions.'  
  
'Here it comes,' Lydecker thought.  
  
"It seem they were together for an entire night. Now, I don't know what your kids are playing at, but they were on seperate missions."  
  
Sighing, he replied, "And which two would they be?"  
  
"989 and 494."  
  
"And has anyone confirmed that?"  
  
"I intend on querying them both as soon as 494 returns from his mission..."  
  
"How much attention are you paying around here, lately?" Lydecker asked her. "You kept 989 waiting for an hour earlier. Would it surprise you if I told you that 494 arrived not long ago. *And* he did present himself."  
  
Renfro shot him a death look, and called in one of the X5 TAC leaders. "Bring X5-989 and X5-494 here."  
  
"Yes, ma'am."  
  
"Why are you making such a big deal about this?" Lydecker asked her. "You have no problems with any of the other X5s."  
  
"X5-989, in case you hadn't noticed, is the best soldier Manticore has created. Faster, stronger, smarter - she can take out the damn X7s, which we didn't think she'd be able to. I don't want her falling pregnant. She's too important to have to take leave because of it."  
  
"I thought you'd be pleased with the prospect of having a second-generation X5..."  
  
Renfro stood up from her desk, her eyes shooting daggers. "Deck," she said, her tone low and dangerous. "I want her available for every mission. Understood?"  
  
"Understood," Lydecker said. He moved towards one of the corners and sat down on a chair. "If you don't mind, Director, I'd like to hear what my kids have to say for themselves."  
  
After a few minutes, the TAC leader walked in with both 494 and Jazz, who both stood at attention.  
  
"I've heard some worrying rumors floating around here about you two," Renfro said, pacing in front of them. "But I'd like to hear what you have to say about it." She looked at 494.  
  
"Rumors, ma'am?" he queried, his voice all soldier.  
  
"Yes," she said. "X5-494, what were your movements for the past twenty-four hours?"  
  
494 looked slightly uncomfortable, and the room was full of tension. Lydecker spoke up, "At ease, soldiers." With that, the two of them relaxed.  
  
"I followed the target, to and from work in sector nine , observing him, and planning my attack. Attack was executed three hours ago, ma'am," 494 said, with moving his eyes from where they were staring in front of him.  
  
Renfro stood in front of Jazz. "And you, 989?"  
  
"When I was first deployed, target was not present at her home. I queried some neighbours, but was unable to locate her. I staked out an apartment across from her house in sector three, and waited until she returned. When you contacted me this morning, target had not yet returned. She did so about half an hour later. Attack was executed an hour after that, ma'am." Jazz would not look at Renfro.  
  
"See, Director," Lydecker said. "My kids are good soldiers." He looked at them. "Did either of you two have anything else to add?"  
  
"Yes, sir," Jazz said, her voice clear.  
  
"Very well," Renfro said, her voice frosty once more.  
  
"Unit 4, upon my arrival were talking about this. As leader of Unit 4, I request that they be properly disciplined for disrespect to a senior soldier, ma'am."  
  
"I'll see that it is done, X5-989. You're both dismissed." With that Renfro opened her office door.  
  
"989, come with me please," Lydecker said to Jazz, looking smugly at Renfro.  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
494 gave Jazz a slight smile that both Renfro and Lydecker missed. They also missed the indication of his fingers that they meet at 1 in his cell.  
  
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"I'm sorry about all that, Jazz," Lydecker said when they were both in his car.  
  
"Permission to speak freely, sir?"  
  
"Go ahead."  
  
"Where the hell are we going?" she asked, her tone impatient.  
  
He chuckled. "If you should happen to escape, I'm sure you'd fit in straight away with the outside world. You're different from all the others."  
  
"I'm glad you noticed," she said, before she realised what she'd said. "I'm sorry, sir. I was out of line."  
  
They were both silent for a moment, before Lydecker said, "The truth."  
  
Jazz looked confused. "The truth?"  
  
"About you and 494."  
  
She snapped her head around. "What about us?"  
  
Lydecker waved a dismissive hand. "Was Renfro right about the rumors?"  
  
"Of course she was right about the rumors. My own unit was asking me about them."  
  
"You're avoiding the question.."  
  
"Forgive me, sir, but I answered you question," Jazz said sweetly, fully knowing where this was headed.  
  
Lydecker sighed. Jazz may have been Manticore's best soldier, but she was stubborn, and evasive at the worst of times. "I meant to say were the rumors true, or not."  
  
"What do you want me to say, sir. You heard our replies back at base." She could out-stubborn him, she was sure of it.  
  
"I guess that means that you lied to her?" Lydecker asked Jazz, turning to face her.  
  
Silence.  
  
"Where are we going?" she asked, trying to break up the tension in the car.  
  
Another silence.  
  
"I'm taking you out of Manticore."  
  
"WHAT!" Jumbled thoughts ran through her mind. "I thought you said you had a mission for me?" Uh-oh, she was *definitely panicking.  
  
"This is your mission," Lydecker said, in an irritatingly-calm voice.  
  
"Oh, good, so you mean it's only temporarily?" 'Calm down,' she told herself.  
  
'For as long as it takes,' Lydecker said in his head. "I don't know how long you'll be out of Manticore," he admitted. "Think of it as a recon mission. I want you to get close to X5-452 - Max."  
  
"How? And what for?"  
  
"You're a good soldier, Jazz. You ask the right questions," Lydecker complimented her. He stopped the car. "I want you to become one of her friends. Work where she works, visit places she visits, learn all you can about her." He handed Jazz a mobile, and a pager. "When I need to talk to you, I'll page you, and you call on that phone. It's untraceable, should anyone else call it."  
  
"Sir, what is this all about?" Jazz asked, certain that he wasn't telling her everything.  
  
"Let's just say, I don't want you to get involved in any more of Renfro's games at Manticore." He started the car up again. "I've organised an apartment for you, as well as transportation. The kind that Max will think twice about."  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"I called in a favour in Japan. They've been developing a new motorcycle prototype. There's currently only two in existence. One of them's yours."  
  
Jazz was shocked. She absolutely adored motorcycles. But Lydecker getting her a new prototype...  
  
"Don't look so shocked, 989. The best deserve the best..."  
  
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I suppose that if I had been a better soldier, I might have questioned his orders, and his present. But then again, Lydecker had always been like this with me: more lenient, nicer. He got me better assignments. Hell, he even let me behave like a normal person: ranting, raving, swearing...  
  
Generally, he was a nice guy...  
  
He gave crap to the others, though.  
  
Well, like they say in French: 'C'est la vie'.  
  
The orders I recieved I viewed in the way they obivously were intended to be viewed: 452 was giving Lydecker crap, and every single time he thought he had her, she disappeared. So now he wanted inside information on how to bring her in.  
  
On the other hand, he'd been keeping me out of Manticore as much as possible. For example, I'd arrive in from a mission, and he'd have another one ready for me etc etc. I don't blame him, although, if I were him I'd be out of there myself. The tension is so thick you could, quite literally, cut it with a knife. I normally don't resort to cliches though.  
  
But I should tell you about the other surprises he had for me. Not only did I own a prototype Galaxy 400 motorcycle, I also owned an apartment, a wardrobe of clothes, a new cell phone, and I am now sporting a short hair-style.  
  
This has *got* to be *the* best assignement ever....   
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End file.
